National Register of Historic Places

Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill

Henrico, Henrico County, Virginia
Listed
February 3, 2000
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99001720

About this property

The Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill, in the historic community of Brook Hill in Henrico County, Virginia, is a historic Episcopal church. Brothers John and Daniel Kerr Stewart, both born on the Island of Bute in Scotland, emigrated and established a farm at Brook Hill. Although they had been members of Monumental Church and then St. Paul's Church, both in downtown Richmond, Virginia, their property was on the city's outskirts. The early Brook turnpike between Richmond and Dabney Williamson's Tavern had become a major thoroughfare during the American Revolution. Between 1859 and 1860, the Stewart brothers supported creation of a new parish near their farm, which was organized in 1860. Bishop John Johns consecrated the building on July 6, 1860. The mission church's first rector was Rev. Richard Hooker Wilmer, a friend of John Stewart and future Confederate Bishop (elected to the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama in 1862. During the American Civil War, troops often traveled on Brook Road, almost in front of this church. Both armies at various times occupied the building, often using it as a hospital. Nearby Virginia historical markers describe Sheridan's maneuvers in 1864, Richmond's outer defenses on the road, and the renaming of the entire road between Petersburg and Alexandria Virginia as Jefferson Davis Highway between 1913 and 1947. The church built a school in 1910, and a parish hall in the 1957. The parish has also been known for its social activism. John Stewart's daughter Marian, who married George William Peterkin (who became the first Bishop of West Virginia), wrote about its mottos: "God is with us" and "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much". Virginia's seventh bishop, William Cabell Brown, a former missionary in Brazil, is also interred in the graveyard. Immediately in front of the church, in addition to a historic marker concerning the church, is a marker commemorating artist and suffragette Adele Goodman Clark. The church and church school (built in 1910), as well as the cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Rhode Island architect Clifton A. Hall designed the church. Richard Hooker Wilmer, the only bishop to be consecrated by the Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, is buried in the church cemetery, as are many Confederate soldiers. Media related to Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill at Wikimedia Commons

Location

1214 Wilmer Ave.
Henrico, Henrico County, Virginia
37.60620, -77.45864

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Chamberlayne Gardens
Colonial
0.8 mi
Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital
Civil War
0.9 mi
Hermitage Road Historic District
Listed
1.1 mi
Wicker Apartments
Listed
1.2 mi
Bryan, Joseph, Park
Listed
1.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Engagement at Seven Mile Ford
1863Civil War
2 mi
Fight at Meadow Bridge
1864Civil War
3.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill listed on the National Register?

Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 3, 2000.

What type of historic resource is Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill?

Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill?

The period of significance for Emmanuel Church at Brook Hill is recorded as the industrial era.

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